The World of Jesus

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The World of Jesus

• NEW TESTAMENT

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Regions and Cities(pages 10-12)

• Where did Jesus live?
• Where did he walk?

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Geography Four major terrain's

• 1.) Coastal plain along Mediterranean Sea
• 2.) Mountain range running north and south
• 3.) Great Rift Valley where the Jordan River
  flows
• 4.) Transjordan -

Textbook pg. 11 Explore the Land
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Galilee

• Center of Jesus earthly ministry, mainly
  Jewish
• Cities included Nazareth, Cana, Bethsaida,
  and Capernaum

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Samaria

• North-central region of the Holy Land
• Samaritans accepted only the Law of Moses and
  considered only the first five books to be sacred
• Jews looked on Samaritan worship as false

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Judea

• South of Palestine
• mainly Jews who returned to the Holy Land.
• Cities included Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Bethany,
  and Jericho

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Language and Dialect

• How did Jesus communicate?
• What languages did Jesus know?

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Language and Dialect

• Common language throughout the Roman Empire was
  Greek
• Gospels were written in Greek but retained
  several Aramaic sayings
• Latin was used in Palestine because of the Roman
  occupational forces

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Language and Dialect

• Jesus spoke Aramaic which is a Semitic language
  closely related to Hebrew
• Scripture was read in Hebrew but many people
  could not understand it
• Scriptures were therefore translated with
  Aramaic phrases
• Does not include Deuterocanonical Books.
• -Scripture reveals Salvation History

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Feasts and Practices

• Jesus practice of his Jewish faith revolved
  around
• 1.) The Synagogue
• 2.) The Temple
• 3.) Religious feasts

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1.) Synagogue

• Comes from Greek word meaning assembly
• - Served three main purposes
• A house of prayer
• A place of discussion for legal settlements
• The local school

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2.) Temple

• The one and only Temple was in Jerusalem
• This is where the Jews offered sacrifices to God
• A Holy place where Jews believed God dwelled in a
  special way
• The Temple standing during New Testament times
  was the third one constructed in Jerusalem

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3.) Religious (Jewish) Feasts
-Major Jewish feasts Passover
Pentecost Tabernacles
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Beliefs and Practices

• What did Jesus believe?
• (textbook pages 12-13)

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- existence of angels and demons - Jews believed
in heavenly messengers (angels) - Important
literature produced in this era (Jubilees,
Enoch, and the Dead Sea Scrolls) books divided
the angels into groups and gave them names and
descriptions -Jews and Christians accepted the
existence of demons, but believed they were
subject to God
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Social and Religious Groups

• Textbook pages 13-20

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Religious Sects
- Four Main Religious Groups 1.)
Sadducees 2.) Pharisees 3.) Essenes 4.)
Zealots
Textbook p. 26 Social Classes pp 35-37
Judaism
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Sadducees

• Stressed human freewill and responsibility over
  trusting Divine Providence
• Collaborated with Romans to stay in power
• Disappeared after the destruction of the
  Temple in A.D. 70 when they
  lost their power
• Many Sadducees, along with a few Pharisees, made
  up the 71 member Sanhedrin
• The Sanhedrin was a major law-making body and
  Supreme Court of Judaism

Jesus in front of Sanhedrin
Textbook pg. 13 Interpret Art
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Pharisees

• Means separated one
• Came into existence by separating
  themselves from ordinary religious practices of
  the day.
• Believed in strict observance of the Law and
  actively pursued holiness
• Had some Gentile influence

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Essenes

• An apocalyptic group
• Believed God would usher in his kingdom through a
  dramatic, even catastrophic event
• Lived strict, pure lives believing that they
  would be on Yahwehs side when the great day
  would come

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Essenes (cont.)

• Lived in tight-knit religious groups in towns and
  villages
• Avoided luxuries
• Shared communal meals
• Did work for the poor
• Possible influence of John the Baptist
• Disappeared after the destruction of the Temple
• Similar to Sadducees

Pg. 16 Read Dead Sea Scrolls and take notes
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Zealots

• An organized revolutionary faction
• Came into existence during the First Jewish War
  (66-70)
• Despised Roman rule and fomented violence to
  overthrow it
• After their second revolt, they were forbidden to
  set foot in the holy city of Jerusalem

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Other People in New Testament
-Tax Collectors -Common People -Gentiles
-Women
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Political Climate
-Politics dominated Jewish life -Hellenism (love
of Greek culture) was imposed by the Seleucid
ruler, Antiochus IV -After Herod the Greats
death, Palestine was ruled by his sons
Archelaus, Herod Antipas, and Philip. Herod
Antipas was king during Jesus lifetime -Slavery
was a fact of the ancient world and the Roman
Empire but not as much in Palestine -Christs
teachings on the fundamental dignity of
persons, after centuries, eventually led to the
abolition of slavery throughout the world
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Mystery Cults

• Why???

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Cult of Isis

• One of the most popular
• Originated in Egypt
• Emphasized chastity and morality
• Promised followers immortality
• Silence imposed on all followers
• Rituals symbolized death and rebirth
• Priestesses as well as priests

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Cult of Demeter

• Describes the story of the earth mother,
  Demeter, goddess of vegetation
• Central theme followers will know deliverance
  and a better fate in the world beyond
• Vow of silence

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Cult of Dionysus

• Vow of silence
• God of vegetation and wine
• Revolved around the death and resurrection of
  Dionysus
• No restraint whatsoever
• Drunken orgies
• Obscene immoralities

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Cult of Mithras

• Strong rival to Christianity in the Roman Empire
• Offshoot of Zoroastrianism (Persia)
• Mithras protector of humanityallied to the
  power of goodunconquerable sun
• Only males
• Model for soldiers moral, pure, humble,
  courageous

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Cult of the Emperor

• Not a mystery religion
• Public acknowledgement of the emperor
• Originated in Egypt
• Political power has a religious foundation
• Caesar placed among the immortals
• Punishment for those who did not worship the
  emperor as their guard
• martyrdom

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All pagan cults and religions other than
Christianity were banned in 392 AD by Emperor
Theodosius I.
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Philosophical Influences

• Philosophy
• Philos love
• Sophia wisdom
• love of wisdom

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Epicureans

• The pleasure of the mind is to contemplate the
  pleasure of the body
• Stomach root of all pleasure
• Eating and drinking in moderation
• Safest social pleasure was friendship
• Turmoil is to be avoided in ones life
• Fear is the root of all troubles
• Greatest sources of fear are religion and death
• If the gods exist, they were not involved in
  human affairs
• In death, the soul perishes with the body.
• Death state of untroubled sleep.

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Cynics

• All pleasures of life are evil and should be
  scorned.
• Virtue is the only good.
• Self-control, especially over ones passions and
  desires
• Advocated simplicity of lifestyle
• Happiness is achieved only by our independence
  and self-sufficiency.
• Riches or wealth are not important.

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Stoics

• All life is part of nature.
• Life is good when one is in harmony with nature.
• The supreme power is the soul of the world.
• Each person has the divine spark.
• Human equality and love
• Courage, wisdom, justice, temperance
• All feelings of passion were condemned.
• Health, happiness and material possessions were
  of little concern

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Magic

• Conjuring of spirits
• Belief in and fear of demons
• Superstitions
• Curses
• Power of the starts and all good and evil forces
  in the universe affected any number of things.
• Dream interpretation

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Astrology

• Movements of the heavenly bodies controlled their
  lives
• Fate
• Successes, failures, sickness, health, length of
  life
• 12 signs of the Zodiac
• Mystical numbers 7, 12

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Oral Tradition
Written Tradition
Gospel of John completed by 100 AD in Ephesus
(Asia Minor)
Pentecost 50 days after the Resurrection
Gospel of Mark is written in Rome
46-48 A.D.
65-70 A.D.
100 A.D.
70-85 A. D. Gospels of Matthew ( Antioch) and
Luke (Greece) are written.
St. Paul begins his missionary journeys. Writes
letters to newly formed Christian communities
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Four Criteria for Canonicity (why certain
books were eventually accepted into the NT Canon,
while others were rejected)

• Apostolic Origin
• Universal Acceptance
• Liturgical Use
• Consistent Message

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Activity

• Think of the times you have experienced the touch
  of God, the presence of Jesus, or His Spirit, in
  your own life.
• Write a reflective essay on how (or if) they have
  changed your life.